United joint softball leader

Press, Volume CXIII, Issue 33386, 19 November 1973, Page 12

United joint softball leader

United A avenged its earlier defeats by Papanui in the Canterbury men's softball competition winning a marathon match, 1-0, at English Park on Saturday in the third encounter between the teams this season. The match went to II innings, four more than normal, before the United provincial representative, G. Dunn, scored the only run in the bottom of the innings. While the two leading teams were locked in struggle at English Park, the other top contender. Richmond, easily beat Somerfield, 8-1, at McFarlane Park, to remain at the head of the competition. In the other match. United City almost repeated last week's effort, in which it came from behind (3-1) in the seventh innings to beat Somerfield. Against Western Suburbs on Saturday, United City was down, 1-4, going into the sixth innings, but scored two valuable runs. However. United City could not

equalise, and Suburbs won. 4-3 United’s win over Papanui allowed Richmond to join United in leading the competition with , 10 points after six Saturday : rounds and one series’of night softball. Papanui is two points behind, but it has beaten both United and Richmond. LATE REGISTRATION Although Papanui has won the - same number of matches as the 2 leaders, it is two points behind because it had to forfeit the s competition points for its first t round win against United after - making a late registration. t; United was dominant in its ? game, but after it narrowly f missed scoring dn the fourth innings. Papanui put up dogged 1 resistance, and forced the match s into the eleventh innings, i After the tenth innings, i United had gained more . advances. It had 10 base run- - ners, and four batsmen had made , third base. compared with t Papanui’s two base runners, who - both made third base. But it t was inevitable that United

should win in the eleventh innings when it had loaded bases, and the team needed only W. Keen's fifth bat of the; match was vital, and he succeeded in hitting a pitch from M. Reid (Papanui). and Dunn came home on a fielder's choice when the short stop, A. Sweat, decided to run out Keen on base one.

UNITED A 1, PAPANUI 0 When United -lost to Papanui in the first series of night soft-’ ball last Tuesday, it missed the! ! services of its pitcher, D. Brad-1 bury. But the province’s topi pitcher was back on Saturday, and he succeeded admirably in I keeping the normally spirited Papanui batsmen pinned down on , the mound. Bradbury struck out 15 batsmen, gave no walks, and allowed only one safe hit. Papanui’s pitcher, G. Roberts, struck out , seven batsmen, gave two walks and allowed eight safe hits. He was replaced by Reid in the bottom of tiic eleventh innings when the bases were loaded, but he could not make any impact. There was little action in the first three innings, United being three up, three down, and Papanui’s only effort coming m . the second innings when G. Phillips made third base. In the 1 bottom of the fourth innings, N. Oorschot made third base after two safe hits, but fortunately for Papanui, Phillips gained : a close tag on Oorschot on home base. In United’s next bat. R. Colli- . cut scored a three-bagger when , he hit the ball on to the cycle track, but the rule peculiar to English Park stopped United from scoring. When the ball rolls on to the track, the batter can only gain three bases. Collicut was left on third base ; when the next three batters did , not succeed. Papanui’s closest chance to ; scoring came in the top of the : ninth innings when C. N. Chee made third base by fast baserunning with the team one down. But Bradbury replied with two strike-outs, and Chee was left on the base. After Papanui were three up, three down for the eighth time in the top of the eleventh innings, United broke through when it gained three base-runners. RICHMOND 8, SOMERFIELD 1 Somerfield recently has lost its grip on matches by allowing . batting sprees by the opposing ; teams. It occurred again on Saturday. when Richmond scored six runs in the third innings, sealing the fate of the match. i Apart from the third innings, the game was even. Both teams made one error. Richmond put in 32 batters and made 13 safe hits, and Somerfield put in 27 batters and made five safe hits. Richmond’s pitcher, D. Chee, struck out three batsmen and gave no walks, and B. Hays made a strike-out and gave no walks. Somerfield scored first when B. Williams came home in the first innings. But in the third innings Richmond went right through its batting order to record several strong hits, which included a three-bagger from P. McFarlane, ' and gain six runs. The scorers were Chee. G. Panagoitidis, D. Rea, E. S. Kerrigan, G. Lay, and McFarlane. Chee scored again in the next innings, and Richmond’s final scoring came in the bottom of | the fifth when McFarlane hit a fine home run. WESTERN SUBURBS 4, UNITED CITY 3 Suburbs fielded a rearranged

team, and the changes almo came unstuck when United Ci endeavoured to make a comebac in the sixth innings. It starte when City’s R. Hutton hit a tw bagger, then T. Lowndes fc lowed suit, and finally T. Moun fort hit safe to bring hon Hutton and Lowndes. Suburbs gained its winnii runs when R. Johnston and Mansfield scored in the fir innings. G. Timms came hon in the next innings, and R. Ho son scored the final run in tl fourth innings. United's oth< run was iu the top of the secor innings, when Lowndes can home from a hit by J. Grainge Timms batted 1000. and tl Suburbs No. 2 pitcher, R. Fif struck-out three batters. ga\ one walk and allowed six hit United City’s C. Vesty made tv. strike-outs, gave two walks, ar allowed seven hits. In tt seventh innings, the No. pitcher, L. Fife, came to tl mound, and from four batter made two strike-outs and gax one walk.

POINTS TABLE Pts P \\ ' L F A Richmond — e i 2 59 ii 10 United A 7 2 38 17 10 Papanui 7 - i Z Z.1 15 8 West. Sub. 6 3 ; 3 28 23 6 United City 6 1 5 19 54 z Somerfield 7 1 6 11 23 2